Steven Fletcher

Jul 7 2018

Attendance at Darwen 999 Day

Today, at the invitation of the organisers of Darwen 999 day taking place on Darwen Market Square one Support Group member attended this event with our Mountain Rescue Vehicle BM3 on display. Many other team members and vehicles were still committed to assisting the Fire and Rescue services at the ongoing fire on Winter Hill so special thanks to Iain Clarkson from our support group for attending this event on our behalf.

Other displays on the day included Rosemere Cancer Foundation, Blood bikes, Fire cadets, Lancashire Ambulance service, Poppy appeal and Lancashire police.

We had many members of the general public asking questions on what we do and how the fire was on Winter hill.

The team was very grateful for the interest shown in our work and by all who visited us and thankful for the fantastic donations totalling £94.29.

By Steven Fletcher • Donations, General news •

May 17 2018

Incident 26-2018 – body recovery from Horrocks Moor

At 15:46 on Sunday 13th May we were contacted by North West Ambulance Service with the request to assist in the recovery of a body from Horrocks moor, off Coal Pit Road, Smithills.

15 team members attended this incident alongside colleagues from Greater Manchester Police.

Team members assisted GMP with their enquiries and ultimately used a stretcher to carry the person 400m across the moor to a waiting NWAS ambulance.

Our thoughts are with the family and friends of person involved at this very sad time.

By Steven Fletcher • Incident • • Tags: BodyRecovery

Mar 29 2018

Incident 9/2018 – mountain biker at Tockholes Plantations

At 14:32 on Sunday 25th March the team was called to assist North West Ambulance Service and the North West Air Ambulance Charity at a serious incident in the Tockholes Plantations, Roddlesworth, near Darwen.

A 35 year old male had suffered a cardiac arrest whilst out mountain biking with friends. Early CPR on the man was started by members of the public, before crews from NWAS and NWAA arrived on scene.

A team member coincidentally out walking nearby went immediately to the scene, and further team members already at our base responded in team vehicles, departing within 3 minutes of the initial call.

The team carried the man on a mountain rescue stretcher, back to the road, whilst resuscitation attempts continued. He was then transferred to Royal Blackburn Hospital in an NWAS ambulance for further treatment.

Sadly despite the best efforts of NWAS, NWAA and Bolton MRT we learned that the man later died in hospital.

Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this very sad time.

By Steven Fletcher • Incident • • Tags: MountainBiker

Mar 3 2018

Guest Speaker Helps Rescue Team Celebrate 50 Years

Bolton Mountain Rescue Team are delighted to be able to welcome Simon Yates; the explorer, mountaineer and author, to tell tales of his escapades in some of the remotest regions on the planet. Simon has had many years’ experience of climbing mountains on every continent and exploring some of the world’s most uninhabitable areas. He first came to prominence when, whilst climbing Suila Grande in the Peruvian Andes with Jo Simspon, an epic rescue mission turned into near tragedy when Simon believed his friend to have died in a deep crevasse and needed to leave him on the mountainside. These exploits were made into a book and a film ‘Touching the Void’. Since then Simon has gone on to achieve , more successful journeys.

The evening will be held on Wednesday 11^th April 2018, at De Vere Whites Hotel. The talk will start at 7:30 but prior to that there will be the opportunity to meet Simon in person and maybe even snap up a signed copy of one of his books of his adventures. Tickets cost £7.50 and are available by emailing gill.leigh@boltonmrt.org.uk

By Steven Fletcher • General news •

Nov 22 2017

Swiftwater and Flood Rescue Boat Operator’s course

Over the past three weeks five team members have undertaken a Rescue 3 Europe Module 4 (Swiftwater and Flood Rescue Boat Operator) course, under the guidance of Austin Lewis and Andy Topping at A&A Technical Rescue.

All five team members were previously qualified to the Module 3 Swiftwater Rescue Technician standard; Module 4 essentially brings in the concept of operations of powered boats in moving water and floods.

The course took place over several evenings in Bolton and three full days in the Menai Straits between Anglesey and North Wales.

A wide range of subject matter was covered – and in the end all five students completed the course and achieved the Module 4 SFRBO qualification.

The newly qualified Rescue Boat Operators

Chris, Kris and Andy (instructor) in the BMRT Arancia boat

The team now has a large number of externally qualified members and specialist equipment that may be deployed on any water rescue or flooding incidents – 40 x team members qualified to Mod 1 (Water Awareness), 5 x Mod 2 (Water First Responder), 7 x Mod 3 (Swiftwater Rescue Technician), Included in the Mod 3 numbers are now 5 x Mod 4 (Swiftwater and Flood Rescue Boat Operator) and 2 x Mod 5 (Water Incident Manager).

Bolton MRT wish to thank Austin and Andy for a very informative and enjoyable course, and also the Lancashire Community Foundation, whose grant funding allowed our team members to partake in this cuorse.

By Steven Fletcher • General news •